Adam is the Co-Founder and CEO of Afficionado Coffee Roasters. With a background in finance, Adam oversees the daily operations of Afficionado and acts as the company's lead visionary. He founded Afficionado Coffee Roasters in 2008 with a homemade roaster, selling at local farmers markets. Since then he has nurtured the company through the chaotic industry landscape, never compromising his initial principles and bootstrap approach. When he’s not traveling the world visiting the farms, Adam loves sailing, snowboarding, cooking, gardening and flying small airplanes. His ideal coffee is the Guatemala Asdelflor, at sunrise, through a v60 pour over.
Peter Turso
Peter Turso is a James Beard-recognized chef with a diverse background spanning fine dining, hotel and resort production, as well as recipe development for corporate entities. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Turso is inspired by the unexpected depth and infinite nuance that can be found in coffee. Leveraging his chef’s palate, he participates at every level of coffee production, from farming to harvesting to roasting by hand here in New Jersey. He hopes that his dedication proves itself in every sip, and that coffee enhances your journey, wherever life takes you. And bring a camera! Outside of work, Chef T enjoys being in nature: gardening, hiking, and snowboarding. He is an amateur photographer and pretty decent guitarist.
John Michael Beam
John Michael Beam started with Afficionado back in 2010 as a field associate, cultivating a diverse network throughout New York and New Jersey. Today, John Michael is Afficionado's Chief Operations Officer, overseeing all market segments. He enjoys spontaneous travel and anything outdoors - especially mountain biking, boating, and snowboarding. John Michael rotates through the Afficionado coffee portfolio, but always prefers a pour over.
Kyle Wuethrich
Kyle has been working with Afficionado Roasters since 2013. He is the Michelangelo of latte art, but more importantly he’s spent time on most of our farms, getting to know producers, process, and origin stories for each coffee. He ensures product quality in the field through on-site trainings and equipment maintenance. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and takes his coffee black, drip, and in small servings throughout the day.
Paul Merces
Paul Merces is a co-founder of Afficionado Coffee Roasters and now oversees all warehouse operations. Born and raised in Holmdel, NJ, in 2007 he decided to leave the family business to pursue a life in coffee, and now oversees all warehouse operations. In his free time he enjoys running, boating, mountain biking, and spending quality time with family and friends. His go-to coffee is the Dolce Blend with milk (Chemex pourover) during the colder months and 12-hour Cold Brew for the summer.
Tyler Navarro
Who’s Tyler Navarro? He’s the baddest cat you’ve ever laid two eyes on. In the coffee industry, he’s known as the Crema de la Crème. When he’s not supplying excellent service as a field support technician, he’s bringing joy and good vibes to the party. His hobbies are staying cool, keeping mellow, and sipping on espresso, especially if it’s of the Benchmark variety.
Joe Bailey
Born and raised in Indiana, Joe studied Visual Communications and Studio Art at Loyola University in Chicago. After stints as a touring bassist and a graphic designer in the jewelry industry, Joe joined Afficionado as Creative Director in 2019. In his free time he likes to see live music, explore new neighborhoods, and play card games. He drinks cold brew all year round, and prefers Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in the colder winter months.
Cait Hites
Cait is a Brooklyn-based creative writer with career experience in journalism, client relations, and the NYC hospitality industry. She fills the role of Customer Experience and Marketing Manager at Afficionado. Born and raised in Idaho, Cait grew up exploring the beauty of the Northwest, where she garnered an appreciation for coexisting with nature and wildlife. When Cait isn’t writing on her “novel-idea-of-the-week” she enjoys sewing, developing new recipes, unwinding at Prospect Park, and spending time with her favorite people and her foster cats. Cait’s year-round coffee order is an Americano over ice.
Gabriel Karmaou
Born and raised in New Jersey, Gabe is a beverage development & fulfillment associate at Afficionado. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with my family. His hobbies include hiking, camping, and playing video games. His favorite coffee is Magical Cold Brew.
Art Ferrono
A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Art earned his Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management in upstate New York at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In his free time, he loves playing golf or playing pool as a member of a league for over 25 years. He is also an avid fisherman and a big fan of baseball and football. Art's favorite coffee is the Dolce blend, which cups like ice cream with a creamy texture and taste.
Chris Scibor
Born and raised in Freehold, New Jersey, Chris is Afficionado's Customer Success Associate. In his free time, Chris enjoys hanging out with friends or watching/ playing football, baseball, basketball and golf. His favorite coffee is a Colombian pour over.